Beginning Monday January 19th, there will be a change in the way campus guests obtain access to the wireless network. The change keeps us compliant with current legal requirements. Anyone planning a visit to campus may request a temporary guest account in advance of their visit. Similarly, sponsors bringing visitors to campus may request temporary guest accounts. During regular business hours, guest access may be obtained by contacting the Help Desk (helpdesk@davidson.edu or x-2900). After hours, guests may obtain access at the following locations: Library Reference Desk, Guest House and Campus Center. For more information about this change, please visit: http://www3.davidson.edu/cms/x34549.xml

Over the last week or so, Mac OS users learned of a new malware threat called OSX.iServices. This new nasty comes inside pirate copies of Apple's new iWork '09 suite and Adobe's Photoshop CS4 being distributed over Bittorrent networks. It's a particularly pernicious bit of programming, because the pilfered software actually runs normally, while the malware does its work in the background.

The nature of this new threat underlines a couple of important facts for Davidson Mac OS users:

1. Pirated software is inherently dangerous, no matter how it's acquired or the reason. This new threat takes advantage of the fact that Apple has removed serial numbering from iWork '09, and plays on people's natural inclination to save money in this tight economy.


2. Mac users must remain watchful. Though the number of malware attacks on the Mac is small, and falling prey to one requires some actual effort, it's still possible. Sophos is installed on every college-owned Mac for just this reason.


3. The best defense against Mac malware is smart behavior, because most threats to Mac users are essentially social engineering. Stay away from sketchy websites and questionable sources of software. Know what you're installing before clicking Okay. If you have to question whether something is legitimate, it probably isn't.

On Tuesday, February 3rd, we will push install Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 (IE7), long held back awaiting vendor certifications with most campus software, out to Windows computers. This version of Microsoft's browser is a substantial upgrade from Internet Explorer 6. It includes features now common in other web browsers such as anti-phishing, tabbing, and an overall better user interface. The transition will take a matter of minutes, be done in the background, and you may continue to work as usual during the process.

When you open Internet Explorer 7 for the first time you will be redirected to a "Customize Your Settings" page. Please select the following:

Section A. Please select "Keep my current default search provider." Section B. Please place a √ beside "Turn on automatic phishing filter" Please leave all other options as they are by default. After you "Save your settings" you may take a tour of the new features of Internet 7 or close your browser.

If you would like to take a tour of IE 7 before the upgrade, please see http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ie7/tour/fre/interface/. Please do not download it from the Microsoft web site. For future support and maintenance, we will install it on your computer via the campus network.